Caravan and park homes sites

Over 20,000 people in the UK live in mobile homes – some through choice, and others because it is the only housing option available to them.  Some rent, whilst the majority own their home, but someone else usually owns the land it stands on.

All park or mobile homes sites must have a licence. Before a licence can be issued, planning permission has to have been granted.  The council cannot refuse to grant a licence and a licence cannot be issued for a limited time period, unless the planning permission has a time limit on it.

If you are thinking of purchasing a park home, we strongly recommend that you obtain an Energy Performance Certificate and a structural report from a suitably qualified surveyor before purchasing.

Licence conditions for North Lincolnshire park and mobile home sites are based on the Model Standards 2008 for caravan sites in England

If you think the site owner is not looking after the park properly, or is not providing adequate services, you should check what their duties are under the site licence. In order to get a site licence, the park must meet certain safety and amenity standards set by the council.

If there are three or more caravans on your site, the licence should be displayed in a prominent place. If you cannot see it, you should ask the council to send you a copy, or arrange an appointment for you to look at it.

If the licence does not cover the matter that you are concerned about, you can either talk to the site owner or tell the council that you think the licence is inadequate.

New regulations for owners and licence holders of caravan sites

The Mobile Homes (Requirements for Manager of Site to Fit and Proper) (England) Regulations 2020 requires that the council:

• processes applications from site owners (or “occupiers”)
• makes and issues decisions
• establishes a fit and proper person register for the North Lincolnshire area

Non statutory Government Guidance can be found on Mobile homes fit and proper person test: guidance for local authorities on GOV.UK

What this means for site owners

From 1 October 2021, unless the site is exempt, the site owner must:

• be a fit and proper person to lawfully operate a park home site, or
• have a fit and proper site manager in place

What the site owner must do

Site owners operating a relevant protected site must apply to the council for the relevant person (themselves or their appointed manager) to be included in the local register of fit and proper persons to manage a site.

You can apply by downloading the application form  [PDF, 232Kb].  Please refer to our Application Guidance [PDF, 197Kb].

A site owner may only apply if they hold or have applied for a site licence for the site.

Exempt sites

A site is exempt if it’s “a non-commercial family occupied site”. For example:

• only occupied by members of the same family, and
• not being run on a commercial basis

The regulations and the non-statutory guidance detailed above provide further detail about this exemption. See the legislation on Gov.UK for more details.

What we’ll consider

In order to inform the council’s decision that the relevant person is a fit and proper person to manage the site, and to add them to the register, it will consider:

• past compliance with the site licence
• the long term maintenance of the site
• whether the relevant person has sufficient level of competence to manage the site
• the management structure and funding arrangements for the site or proposed management structure and funding arrangements

We will also consider whether the relevant person:

• has the right to work within the UK
• has committed any offence involving fraud or other dishonesty, violence, arson or drugs or listed in Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (offences attracting notification requirements)
• has contravened any provision of the law relating to housing, caravan sites, mobile homes, public health, planning or environmental health or of landlord and tenant law
• has contravened any provision of the Equality Act 2010 in, or in connection with, the carrying on of any business
• has harassed any person in, or in connection with, the carrying on of any business
• has had an application rejected by any other local authority
• is, or has been within the past 10 years, personally insolvent
• is, or has been within the last 10 years, disqualified from acting as a company director

Consideration of the conduct of any person associated or formerly associated with the relevant person (whether on a personal, work or other basis), if it appears that person’s conduct is relevant.

We can also consider any evidence on any other relevant matters.

Application cost

Where more than one application has to be made in cases where an application has been rejected, or where there is more than one responsible person, a further £256 will be levied per fit and proper person check.

The site owner may set site rules on residential caravan sites. The council does not enforce these rules, although some rules may be a duplicate of the site licence conditions. The site rules are part of the contract between the home owner and site owner, and supplement the Mobile Homes Act Agreement.

The council is required to keep and publish a register of site rules. We will update this page when we are notified by site owners that rules are in force. The rules that appear in the table above have been written by the site owners, and not North Lincolnshire Council.

Why people choose a mobile home

Mobile homes are an economical housing option. Some people – particularly those of retirement age, choose to move into mobile accommodation, often selling traditional property to do so.

What to consider when looking for a mobile home

when you buy or rent a mobile home you need to think about:

• what the home itself is like
• what the site is like that the home is located on
• whether the home and site comply with all the council’s licensing conditions (these should be displayed on the site in a readily accessible position).

You should ask to see a copy of the site or tenancy agreement that you will be required to sign.

Can I put a mobile home on my own land?

Even if you own land to put a mobile home on, you will need planning permission and a site licence, which you can obtain by writing to the council.

Are there safety standards for mobile homes?

Yes.  Park homes should be built to a British Standard (BS3632). Various schemes exist, such as the Gold Shield Ten Year Warranty, to ensure that park homes comply with these standards.  Make sure that any mobile home you buy is covered by a warranty.

A list of approved caravan, motor home and caravan leisure home models can be found on the National Caravan Council (NCC) website.  The NCC has checked these models and approved that they comply with UK legislation and safety regulations.  They will carry an NCC approved sticker.

What are my rights if I buy or rent a mobile home?

Unfortunately, tenants or owners of mobile homes do not have as many rights as owners or tenants of “bricks and mortar” homes.  This is because different laws apply to mobile homes.

How do I make a complaint?

If you have a complaint concerning a mobile home park you should try to contact the site owner or manager in the first place to give them the chance to remedy the situation. If the site owner or manager is reluctant or slow to address the problem, you should then contact our Housing Standards section who may be able to take further action.

If your park is a member of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) or the National Park Homes Council (NPHC),  you can take your complaint to these organisations and they will do their best to resolve the dispute.

Our Park Home Licensing Policy [PDF, 97Kb] details the fees to be charged for all the licensing functions surrounding the set up and management of caravan sites. The fee levels have been calculated based on average time and costs involved in undertaking the activities involved.  The invoices will be issued on 1 September of each financial year.

If you have any questions regarding the policy please contact us at housing@northlincs.gov.uk.

The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 states that all mobile home parks must have a licence issued by the council.

The council cannot refuse to grant a licence and a licence cannot be issued for a limited period (unless the planning permission has a time limit). However, the council does attach conditions to the licences of all mobile home parks. The council carries out regular site inspections. Items covered include:

• marking of site boundaries
• spacing between mobile homes for fire safety
• provision and maintenance of fire fighting equipment
• display of notices – including a copy of the site licence
• specifications for roadways and footpaths

The council cannot address any matters outside the scope of the site licence conditions. These can only be tackled by you under your rights contained in the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

The Caravan Sites Act 1968 contains provisions for the protection of occupiers against eviction and harassment. It is enforced by the council.

Harassment (in the legal sense – which is the only type of harassment over which the council has any control) is confined to a site owner illegally depriving occupiers of occupation of their mobile home. Or carrying out acts calculated to interfere with the peace and comfort of an occupier.  Any other form of harassment – for example, the site owner being abusive – cannot be pursued by the council.

Further detailed information is available on the legislation page on Gov.UK

The Mobile Homes Act 2013 is designed to give greater protection to occupiers of residential mobile (park) homes.

The Mobile Homes Act covers a number of issues related to mobile home sites such as:

• security of tenure
• the agreement between residents and owners
• the sale of homes

Any residents who experience problems related to their agreement should obtain legal advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau, Shelter or an appropriate solicitor.